Any indications of YG Entertainment and BIGBANG have been removed from Seungri’s official profile on Naver.

The former BIGBANG member announced his retirement from the entertainment industry on March 11 through an Instagram post. Prior to his announcement, he was swept up in various controversies including the Burning Sun assault case as well as numerous allegations of drug use, corrupt ties with the police, and the arrangement of sexual escort services to entertain investors. On March 13, YG Entertainment confirmed that the agency had terminated its contract with Seungri.

As of March 19, Seungri’s profile on Naver is devoid of any traces of his time in BIGBANG and YG. Not only can users no longer find YG-related information in the debut section of his profile, but all of his history as a BIGBANG member and links to the group’s YouTube, Weibo, Facebook, and Instagram accounts are also no longer present. However, his profile on other Korean search engines still show links to BIGBANG.

BIGBANG’s profile on Naver has also removed Seungri from the member lineup, only showing the four remaining members.

Jung Joon Young, another celebrity at the center of the chatroom controversy, also has his agency information and debut date deleted from his profile. Former FTISLAND member Choi Jong Hoon previously announced his retirement from the entertainment industry, but his agency is still listed as FNC Entertainment.

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Newsis has reported that the police have questioned two women related to the accusations against Seungri that he arranged sexual escort services for foreign investors.

The outlet reports that according to the police on March 18, the metropolitan investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently questioned two women who were mentioned in Seungri’s KakaoTalk group chatroom and have been under suspicion of providing services as prostitutes. The women were brought in for questioning as witnesses.

It was previously reported that in the chatroom, Seungri had said to someone named Employee Kim, “prepare a spot in the main area of Club Arena and call the girls” for a foreign investor and the people with her. The chatroom, which also involved people such as former Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In Suk, went on to include further conversations about preparing prostitutes for the guests.

The women told police on March 18, “It’s true that we were present there, but there was nothing like prostitution services.”

Meanwhile, the police have stated that they have obtained a separate significant testimony for the case that backs up the suspicions of arranging services from prostitutes.

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Seungri has officially requested to postpone his military enlistment, and the Military Manpower Administration plans to make an amendment to the law to prevent people from enlisting as a way of escaping from unfavorable situations in life.

On the morning of March 18, at the plenary session of the National Defense Committee, Commissioner Ki Chan Soo of the Military Manpower Administration responded to a question about what would happen if Seungri does not request to delay his enlistment. The session was held before Seungri submitted the request.

He stated, “The National Defense Committee does not have the legal power to postpone his enlistment. Using this case as a lesson, we are planning to make an amendment to the law to allow the Military Manpower Administration to postpone one’s enlistment if one causes a societal uproar, enlists for the purpose of escaping from reality, or if there is a request from an investigative authority to delay the enlistment. We are sorry that we did not come up with such measures despite having had similar cases in the past. Following this incident, we will make sure to revise the law.”

Jung Kyung Doo, the Minister of National Defense, stated, “[Currently], If one is indicted by the prosecution, there are legal grounds to delay their enlistment, but because [that is not the case], we cannot [postpone Seungri’s enlistment]. [If he enlists], we will cooperate with the police to allow for a thorough investigation that abides by the law.”

Previously on March 15, Seungri announced his plans to postpone his enlistment. On the afternoon of March 18, his lawyer Son Byung Ho confirmed, “Seungri submitted a request to delay his enlistment today. We are hoping the Military Manpower Administration will grant the request.”

Meanwhile, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea is pressing for the postponement of Seungri’s enlistment. They stated, “When a case that involves several people is investigated by two entities (the military and the police), it becomes more difficult for the investigation to be handled properly. Because Seungri will stand trial alone at a military court, it is hard to ensure that the decision made will be consistent with those of the other suspects. The military service is not a prison sentence. It is an insult to the nation’s soldiers who are serving their country to consider enlistment as a means of self-reflection and atonement.”

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Top Right Photo Credit: Xportsnews